Saturday, December 29, 2012

Today's picture shows a typical African fruit market. The picture was taken in 1936, but could have been yesterday. One of the striking things you remember about Africa is how the fruit is exploding with flavor. Not only are there fruits you have never heard of, your old favorites are taken to new heights of flavor. I especially love the little finger bananas.

Friday, December 28, 2012

I am sorry I have not found much time to post updates on my activities in East Africa. Wanted to share that when I had said that I would be coming here to help the orphans of Mali Saba one OPOD follower insisted on helping with the project and volunteered to provide funds for the chickens. Well, got the chicken project done today. I was able to provide each child with two chickens each. This should provide about two eggs per day per child . . . one to eat and one to sell. This might sound like a small thing, but understand that one egg would be a pretty big portion of what a child needs to eat a day, so these chickens will make a big difference in keeping these kids fed. So, many thanks to our special OPOD friend.

Went with the older children to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the surrounding villages, and had a wonderful day.

Above are some of the sights of my day. Pleased to see the wonderful chance to minister to the people in the surrounding villages. How do you take a dozen orphans out to minister in the villages you ask . . . you rent three pickies.

Corn remains a significant part of the diet for many in Africa. The corn is ground into meal, and then used to make Ugali, sort of like American grits. Ugali and Cabbage is what many people survive on. The woman in this picture is grinding the corn to make the meal by hand.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Today's picture was taken in Uganda in 1936, and it shows that children learn to carry water at a very early age. Life is very hard when you have to haul your water from some distance away. It is unfortunate how we take hot tap water at our fingertips for granted.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Today's picture shows a man going to market on a donkey in the Sudan. The picture was taken in 1936, but you see similar scenes today, but the roadways are much more crowded. Donkeys, donkey carts, people on foot, bicycles, scooters, cars, buses and trucks all share the same narrow roadway.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

This picture was taken inside a British Imperial Airlines plane en route to the Sudan from Jerusalem. Ah, there was something so much more elegant about travel back in the day. Look at the space, legroom, and table these people enjoyed. Long gone are those days! The picture was taken in 1936.

DOMESTIC UPDATE:

I have arrived in Kitale, Kenay, and had a wonderful Christmas Day. We spent the day with the orphans of Mali Saba. Hope this picture will remind us all of the true reason for the season. Never have I seen people with so little so thankful for what they have. Have a blessed Christmas.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Today's picture features Masai men in traditional dress. The picture was taken in 1936. The Masai are very much still around and are one of the dominant tribes of Kenya and Tanzania. They are one of the better known tribes, due to their colorful dress (bright orange) and ceremonial dancing. They remain pretty much a nomadic people group.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

We normally think of the Nile as being a river in Egypt, but the Nile actually extends a significant way down into Africa. The Nile goes all the way south to Lake Victoria, the largest lake in the world. Lake Victoria is on the border between Kenya and Uganda.

The picture above was taken in the Sudan, and shows natives filling water skins from the Nile. You can see scenes such as this to this day.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Wow what picture could better capture the spirit of Pioneer American than this one showing Downtown Broken Bow, Nebraska. This looks like something straight out of an old West movie. The picture was taken in 1886

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Today we have another picture from Custer County, Nebraska. This one was taken in 1889. The house in the back is interesting. Notice that it appears to be a normal wood frame house that is being turned into a Sod House. I am sure this would help keep the house cozy in the cold Nebraska winters.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

I love pictures like this one, and the one yesterday. They really exhibit the strength of character found in the pioneer families. Some of the things that jump out to me are Modesty, Humility, Hard Work, and Dedication. These people aren't looking for anyone to provide for them or make everything perfect for them . . . they are going to make it or not on their own. I would also bet that they would be the first to help a neighbor in trouble. I find it sad how far we have drifted from the pioneering spirit displayed in these pictures.

Monday, December 17, 2012

This is a great picture from 1904 of the first man to homestead Beatrice, Nebraska. I like the array of implements he is carrying, ranging from a pistol to a shovel. He looks to be prepared for just about anything.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Today's picture features a Pioneer Woman from the Oklahoma Dustbowl. The picture was taken in 1936. the house looks to be an adobe house, but with the outer plaster or stucco coming off. On adobe houses a hard outer coating is needed to keep the house from eroding away during a rain.

DOMESTIC UPDATE:

I am happy to announce that I will be traveling to East Africa next week to visit with the lovely Ms. EAM over the Christmas Holiday. Mrs. PJM will be staying home to keep the dogs, chickens and greenhouse taken care of. I will be traveling with a group of five people for a "Deny Yourself" Christmas. The idea is that the money you would normally spend on the Christmas holidays will be used to help desperately poor orphans at Mali Saba. So, instead of giving or receiving gifts, or Christmas decorations, or food for festive events, we will be taking that money to provide desperately needed relief for these children.

If you remember my summer trip, I was able to dig these children a water well, get a garden started for them, constructed a chicken coop, and gave them a flock of chickens. The well is working nicely, and provides not only for the orphans, but for the entire surrounding village. With the water, the garden has been producing nicely. The chickens have not fared well. A neighbor bought a chicken that turned out to be sick, so the children's chickens all got sick and died. Because of this, and because the children really have no support or supporting organizations, they have been in a real struggle to have even minimal amount of food. The team I will travel with will work to try and improve living conditions for these children. I will pre-prepare blog posts for the time that I am gone, but with a little luck will be able to have good enough internet connection to periodically update you all on the project. We will leave next Saturday.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Welcome to Pioneer Week. We will look at pictures of the people who were the first to go places. This picture was taken in Colorado in the late 1800's. It is interesting to zoom in and look at the details of the picture. I am thinking the building next door will be a livery stable or blacksmith shop.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

One of the really fun things about Summer Camp in Boy Scouts was that you could play games that were not possible if there were not a lot of other kids around. A blanket toss, pictured here, would be just one example. This picture was taken in 1913 at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. There was a large scouting component at the batteleground, and this group of scouts was part of the event.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The scout motto is to do a good deed daily, and it looks like these two have chosen to give some young ladies a ride across the Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington DC. The picture was taken in 1937.

Monday, December 10, 2012

What more familiar site could there be to anyone who has ever attended summer camp than one like this of the Mess Hall. This looks just like the one at the summer camp I attended in the 1960's. The picture was taken in 1919 at Camp Ranachqua. I wonder if that camp is still around?

Sunday, December 9, 2012

One of the great parts of Summer Camp for Boy Scouts was the water activities. I can remember enjoying lots of river fun with swimming, rope swings, rope bridges, canoes and row boats. The best part was you had lots of other young men to recreate with. Today's picture is from a Boy Scout camp in 1919.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Welcome to Boy Scout week here at OPOD. We kick things off with this picture from the 1937 National Jamboree in Washington DC. The Jamboree was issued a special shortwave license for the week, so they could broadcast nationally to scouts unable to attend the Jamboree. Perhaps some of you can share some of your scouting memories.

Friday, December 7, 2012

We wrap up this week of pictures with this nice image of farmers resting from their work. They are part of a threshing crew working in a field, and have paused for a break. The picture was taken in 1939 in Frederick, Maryland.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

What better way to rest and recreate than over a game of checkers. This pictures shows people at a gas service station playing an afternoon game of checkers. The picture was taken in 1939 in Greensboro, Georgia. You just don't see things like this any more. Compare this scene to your typical Walmart experience.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Wow what better way to relax than to read a nice book. I find reading so relaxing when I try and read I doze right off. It starts by sitting in a comfortable chair, then thinking it would be even more comfortable to prop my legs up and them boom, I am out. I dont't read much, because when I try and read, I quickly go to sleep.

Today's picture was taken in 1905, and the woman is relaxing in a Pullman berth on a train.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

I can not remember any part of life better than back in 1st grade when you got to take a nap after lunch. I am not sure at what grade the nap time tradition stopped, but I feel it was a big mistake. If I could just have 15 minutes to nap in my chair after lunch, I would be a new man all afternoon. I feel an unfortunate stigma has developed around nap time, which now is known as "sleeping on the job".

Anyway, this picture was taken in Arizona in 1940, and shows a young boy during nap time as school.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season upon us, we must remember to take time to relax. So, here at OPOD we will be having "Relax and Recreation" week. What better way to start than with this picture of a little girl fishing. It also follows Hat Week well, as the little girl is sporting a dandy fishing hat. The picture was taken in 1920.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Finally, a hat that I like. I think that this simple straw hat and simple clothes are the most attractive that we have seen all week. Certainly this is a posed picture of a model dressed as a peasant woman, but nonetheless we can see that a person can still look nice in simple clothes.

Monday, November 26, 2012

As you know, this is Lady's Hat Week. I certainly will have interesting hats for you to look at every day, but to be honest, I am already running out of things to say, and it is only Monday. Every hat I look at, I think the same thing . . . why would someone waste so much time, effort, and money on such a useless thing, and I wonder what happens when it is windy. So maybe someone with more style and refinement can comment on the particular details of the hat.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Ladies Hat week continues with this monstrosity. I would be lying if I did not tell you I don't get this whole high fashion thing. Why would someone invest SO much time, money, and effort to look like this? Does it really matter that much. Can you imagine how inconvenient it would be to wear a thing like this. Do you take it off when you get in the car? Do you have people travel with you to go chase your hat down when it blows off? I mean, this is really over the top to me.

DOMESTIC UPDATE:

Long time OPOD visitors know that I enjoy being as self reliant as possible. We have a greenhouse where we grow all our own vegetables and spices, and we get our eggs from Chickie Town, located in the back yard. In cases where we do not grow things, we like to make things starting from the most basic ingredients possible. So, last week I acquired a 50 pound bag of Blue Corn, and wanted to see what I could do with it. The corn is Heirloom variety, meaning it is not the genetically modified or hybrid kind.

I was very pleased with the quality and cleanness of the corn. All big plump pretty kernels. I took a cup and ground it in our Wolfgang Grain Mill. It made a really nice measure of Blue Cornmeal. I then used the cornmeal to make cornbread, and yes, you end up with blue cornbread!

The cornbread turned out great, and was exploding with flavor. When you grind grain right before you use it, you get sensational flavor not present with prepackaged flour or meal. The broccoli was grown in the greenhouse. The brisket was bought, but I do have a smoker for cooking them. This was a delicious meal, and one I enjoyed growing some of the ingredients for, and making the rest from scratch.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

As promised, this is going to be Women's Hat Week here at OPOD. We start with this magnificent specimen of a hat which looks like a fish. The woman also has what looks like a fish shaped handbag to match the hat. I do not claim to be a fashion aficionado, but I will say this just is not working for me. I just can not see someone picking this particular outfit out at the store.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Anyone with a wrench this big deserves to be featured in Rugged Man week. This picture is from 1920, and the man is a mechanic who works is repairing a steam pump. Truly, scenes like this are what made America great.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Rugged Man week continues with these fine specimens. It would be hard to imagine any men more rugged than lumberjacks. The picture was taken in 1901, and you can see the enormous size of trees they had to chop down. I wonder how long it would take to cut a tree like that down.

About Me

I grew up in West Texas, and could not wait to get away. I got away, and went to the University of Texas, and then on to Stanford. I saw the world, and decided what I really wanted was to be in West Texas. So here I am, right back where I started. I had it all, and found it was not that great.

I have been an avid collector of old photographs and documents for over 30
years. The photographs on this site are derived from material I have collected
over the years. Some came from old family albums, some from material I bought at
flea markets over the years, and some from government archives of public domain
images, including the US Library of Congress, and the National Archives. We
appreciate you visiting this blog, and hope you find it interesting.

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